Food stamp benefits boosted 13.6 percent

SACRAMENTO — The monthly grocery budgets of more than 1 million California households got a big boost Wednesday as state officials implemented a 13.6 percent increase in food stamp benefits funded by the federal stimulus package.

The increase will not only help needy families, but will also pump $47 million in additional federal spending into the state each month.

John Wagner, director of the state Department of Social Services, said the money will have an immediate impact on food retailers, manufacturers and growers. He cited federal studies that show every $1 in food stamps generates $1.84 in economic activity.

The food stamp program has seen unprecedented growth in the state since the recession began more than a year ago. The number of food stamp recipients statewide jumped by 21 percent last year, Wagner said, and has continued to climb this year.

In Ventura County, the number of recipients climbed 17.5 percent and applications are up by more than half, county officials told supervisors last month.

To qualify for food stamps, families must have incomes no greater than 130 percent of federal poverty guidelines, or $2,051 a month for a family of three, and cannot have more than $2,000 in savings.

Undocumented residents are not eligible for food stamps.

With the increase, the average monthly benefit in California climbs from $300 to $341. Recipients are given a plastic card, much like an ATM card, that can be used at any of the more than 19,000 retailers statewide that accept the electronic benefit cards. Each recipient's account is replenished on the first of the month.

Jessica Bartholow, executive director of the California Association of Food Banks, said the increase is welcome news at a time when food banks across the state are struggling to keep pace with soaring demand.

She said food banks have seen increases in requests for assistance jump by from 40 percent to as much as 200 percent in impoverished rural counties.

The increase in food stamp benefits will help these agencies to keep pace with demand, she said, because many families exhausted their monthly benefits by the third week of the month.

"The good news is that Californians in need of food assistance are going to have more food," she said.

The benefits are paid entirely by the federal government, but the costs of administering the program are shared by state and county governments. Wagner noted the stimulus bill provides some assistance to local agencies to help cover increased administrative expenses.

The new benefit levels will be in effect for at least 18 months and supersede other cost-of-living increases that would have otherwise kicked in during that time.